Trump Mocks Obama Presidential Library: ‘He Wanted Only Women And DEI To Build It’
President Donald Trump took aim at former President Barack Obama’s controversial presidential library during an impromptu Q&A in the Oval Office on Tuesday, mocking its design and budget overruns while blasting its prioritization of identity-based hiring practices.
Asked by a reporter for his thoughts on the massive structure going up on Chicago’s South Side, Trump didn’t hold back.
“It’s not too pretty,” Trump said bluntly. “He wanted only women and DEI to build it. Well? That’s what they got.”
The $850 million Obama Presidential Center, currently under construction, has faced sharp criticism over its obelisk-like tower and deviation from traditional presidential library norms. The centerpiece of the project is a 225-foot-tall granite tower surrounded by sprawling amenities, including a public library and a full-sized NBA basketball court. Despite its size, it will not house the physical records of Obama’s presidency—those will be stored off-site by the National Archives, with only digital copies available at the Center itself.
Trump, who famously built one of the tallest skyscrapers in Chicago, compared his success in the city to what he called Obama’s “flawed and bloated” project.
“I built a great building in Chicago, as you know, a big, beautiful building, one of the tallest buildings in the country, and we got it built very quickly, very well, and we used the construction workers of Chicago,” Trump said. “They’re great workers. Great construction people. And I suggest that you get them involved.”
The president continued, saying the Obama project is “hundreds of millions of dollars over budget,” and appeared to question whether construction had stalled. “I’m reading these terrible stories, but that’s the way our country was run under President Obama, too. Nobody knew it.”
The Obama Presidential Center—nicknamed the “Obamalisk” by some critics for its bulky design—has also drawn concerns from historians over its operational structure. Instead of being overseen by the National Archives, access to presidential records at the library will be administered by the Obama Foundation, a private entity. That arrangement, combined with the lack of physical documents on site, has sparked fears about transparency and long-term preservation.
Trump’s remarks reflect broader frustrations among many conservatives who see the Obama library not as a repository of history, but as a monument to political correctness and top-down control over the narrative of his presidency.